Hypocrisy on Display in Hollywood and in Politics: Responding with Anger and Humility

Integrity is the opposite of hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy. Even the thought of it makes most of us cringe.

And boy was it on display this week on the right and on the left.

For example, Harvey Weinstein was outed as a sexual harasser and an abuser of power. Yes, Weinstein created a foundation to support “…women’s rights, more women directors, the National Endowment of the Arts. I’m going to finance a lot of it privately.”

It appears that was not all he was doing privately.

Weinstein spoke of women’s rights while depriving them of their dignity.

As the father of daughters—actually, as a human—I’m disgusted.

Now, he is more than a hypocrite, but he’s been outed as a hypocrite, with a decades long track record of sexual harassment and assault. Weinstein, one of the most influential producers in Hollywood—whose company is responsible for major films including The King’s Speech—and a prominent Democratic donor, issued an apology and resignation almost immediately. However, the situation remains ambiguous moving forward.

In a parallel plot line that could be straight out of Shakespeare, this week witnessed an equally precipitous fall by Rep. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania. An outspoken critic of abortion, Murphy was revealed to have not only been involved in a long-term extramarital affair, but had actually pressured his mistress to have an abortion.

As someone who cares about the lives of women and unborn children, Murphy infuriates me with his hypocrisy.

What Rep. Murphy’s resignation is for the right, Weinstein’s is for the left. Both of these are painful reminders that sin and depravity do not follow party lines, but are ingrained in the human condition.